Citation

Li M, Wang Y, Zhou D. Transp. Policy 2023; 134: 191-202.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.tranpol.2023.02.018

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Commuting to and from school occupies a large proportion of urban transportation, especially during rush hours. Therefore, investigating the factors that affect students' choice of school transportation and co-promoting active school transportation from the viewpoint of urban planning are important to create an eco-friendly transportation system. This study used data from Shenzhen Household Travel Survey 2016) and developed a comprehensive indicator system to deeply understand the factors that affect children's (primary school students) commuting choices. The results indicate the following. (1) 71% of Shenzhen primary school students walk to and from school, which is much higher than in some developed countries. (2) The distance between home and school, number of intersections on the way, floor area ratio, architectural diversity, whether the motor vehicle and non-vehicle lanes are physically separated, and commercial buildings along the roadside are built environment factors that affect children's choice of school transportation. (3) Age of the student, household income, family size, and ownership of cars and e-bikes are sociodemographic factors that affect children's choice of school transportation. (4) The built environment factors are more significant than the sociodemographic ones. These findings show how upstream policy choices largely determine rates of active travel and inspire policymakers and urban planners in school planning and traffic management to promote active school travel.

Language: en

Keywords

Active school travel; Household travel survey; Sociodemographic characteristics; Urban built environment